Operation: Capture Baba Yaga's Castle
by CatKkit
Summary: During Operation: Capture Baba Yaga's Castle, Ox and Harvar go off to find Kim and Jackie, who have left the DWMA and joined Arachnophobia. They eventually find them, and discover that they have had their morals forcibly erased. They manage to bring Kim to her senses and convince her to return. Jackie, on the other hand, is a much different story.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story. Obviously.**

**It takes place during Operation Capture Baba Yaga's Castle.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ox and Harvar hurried through the corridors of Baba Yaga's Castle, following the faint trace of Kim's wavelength. They were sweating under the black cloaks and masks that the members of Arachnophobia wore.

"Ox, Killik is a good guy," Harvar commented.

"Yeah, Harvar," Ox said, agreeing with his weapon partner. "For his sake, I hope we rescue Kim and return." They continued through the corridors in silence until they came upon an open arch way into a room.

"What is..." Harvar trailed off as they entered the room. It was filled with heavy, dense smoke that spiraled out of large vases that were scattered across the room.

"What's wrong with them?" Ox asked as he spotted a man on the ground, leaning against a drape-covered pillar.

"You don't need the mask and cloak in here..." the man said, as if he were in a trance. "Take it off..."

"What is that smell?" Ox asked, coughing gently. "Smoke...?"

"I'm feeling dizzy," Harvar muttered, clutching his head.

"What...Is this your first time in here?" the man asked. He began to laugh, as if enjoying a very amusing inside joke.

"Come on Ox," Harvar muttered. "Something strange is going on here. Let's hurry."

"Yeah," Ox agreed as the left the man and entered deeper into the room, smoke closing in around them lazily, quickly making them lose their sense of direction. They eventually removed their masks in an attempt to improve their vision, but to no avail.

"I can't see anything," Ox muttered. "But Kim's wavelength is close by. I can still sense it."

"I'll check over here," Harvar said, moving off to the left. Ox stared at the smoke swirling around him, concentrating hard as he tried to pinpoint her soul's wavelength.

_ Kim,_ he thought to himself._ I was just forcing my feelings on her. I never even tried to understand her._ He let out a loud sigh as he continued to scan the thick coverage for any trace of the pink-haired witch. _If I had known that she was a witch...If I had tried to understand her better...I'm so stupid,_ he thought helplessly.

He suddenly froze, realizing that he was clearly detecting Kim's soul.

"Over there," he muttered, quickly running through the smoke. His footsteps were strangely muted due to the smoke. It felt like he had cotton stuffed into his ears. He skidded to a stop suddenly as he heard her voice.

"Hurry. Hurry Jackie!" It was Kim's voice. The smoke rolled and formed a window which Ox could see through.

"Beautiful," he breathed as he caught sight of Kim. His quiet comment attracted Kim's attention, and her head whipped around.

"Ox..." she murmured, barely loud enough for him to hear. "Why are you here?"

"Thank goodness I found you," Ox said with relief, completely ignoring her question. "And Jackie too! Everyone came to look for you two. Come on! Let's go back to Shibusen together."

"Hmmm," Kim said.

"Huh?" Ox asked, confused.

"You came all this way to save me," Kim murmured in an odd voice. She took a step towards Ox, getting uncomfortably close. He tried to take a step back, only to discover that he was right up against a wall that must have been hidden by the fog earlier.

"Take this sweltering thing off," she murmured, pulling his black Arachnophobia cloak off. It fell in a bundle at their feet.

"Ki...Kim. What are you doing?" Ox asked as Kim began to cuddle up to him.

"You like me, don't you?" she purred. "I have to...repay you for coming." She was very close now, pressing up against him.

"Please stop!" Ox shouted, pushing her away. She fell to the ground. "What happened to you?" he asked. "You a more sublime woman. Please stop doing these cheap tricks."

Kim looked at him dully. "Ow," she said quietly, rubbing her sore butt.

"Kim! Are you okay?" Ox asked, helping Kim to her feet.

"No, I'm sorry," Kim said. "I was just so happy to see you."

"Are you hurt?" Ox asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, his grip tightened as pain shot through his side. "K-kim?" he asked shakily, his grip on her shoulder slackened as he fell to his knees. He saw the knife in Kim's hand, but couldn't believe what had just happened. His hands were already getting stained red as he tried to slow the bleeding.

"Ah, Kim, you went too far," Jackie scolded. "With a wound that deep, he'll die."

"Was there a misunderstanding?" Kim asked. "Guys who are gentlemen are just boring. Did you think that you were acting cool? Idiot"

Ox felt his vision begin to blur as the puddle of blood next to him got bigger. Luckily, it was slowly but surely beginning to clot. Maybe he wouldn't die.

Kim walked over and kick Ox over carefully. "Morals are just a burden. To have them is pointless." Her words brought Ox back to a conversation that he had overheard earlier. Something about a "Moral Manipulation Machine".

"So that's what that was," he muttered. A machine that can manipulate a persons morals. He probably should have been able to figure that out with just the name. _This is not good,_ he thought to himself, glancing down at his bloodied side. The blood had slowed, but not enough. _With this amount of bleeding..._ He was too afraid to finish his thought.

"These days, I don't want anything to do with Shibusen," Kim declared, holding up her tie. Instead of it's usual Shinigami skull, it had an Arachnophobia mask. "From now on, it's Arachnophobia."

Suddenly, the alarms overhead screeched to life, throwing bright red lights around the room.

"What?" Jackie asked in surprise.

"The alarm?" Kim inquired.

_Is something happening outside?_ Ox wondered. Suddenly, another soul's wavelength hit him like a tidal wave. Ox felt himself smirk.

Black Star was here.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**The next chapter will kind of go off from the manga.**

**And the anime.**

**So yeah.**

**Takes place around Chapters 46-51.**

**Until I totally go off plot, that is. **

**Point out my mistakes.**

**Thanks,**

**CatKkit.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ox smiled. Even from deep in Arachnophobia, he could hear Black Star as he and Tsubaki challenged Mifune to a rematch.

But he couldn't focus on that. He had much more pressing matters to attend to right now. Like saving Kim. And not dying.

Kim smiled down at him. "Come on Jackie. Let's finish him."

"Sure, why not?" Jackie agreed, transforming into her lantern form. Ox sat helplessly as the girl of his dreams prepared to incinerate him. He could see power beginning to gather inside of the weapon.

Kim raised the red-hot lantern. "Well, I guess this is goodbye, Ox-." A movement from her left distracted her. She didn't even have time to glance over before Harvar stabbed his spear arm straight through her stomach. He quickly removed his arm, which was now covered in blood, and allowed Kim to fall to the ground, her eyes closed. She was dead.

"Ox, I know it was painful, but there was no other choice," Harvar said.

"I know," Ox said. "But that doesn't mean that I can agree with what you just did."

"Jacqueline," Harvar said, addressing the discarded weapon. "Your meister is dead. Are you still going to fight us?"

"Aw, she died," Jackie said with a sigh. "Whatever will I do?"

"She's your partner! Are you going to give up that quickly?" Ox asked.

He crawled over to where Kim lay. He rolled her over and pushed her shirt up to better see her wound.

"Maybe there is some way that we can..." Ox trailed off.

"It's already too late for Kim," Harvar said harshly. "More importantly, if we don't hurry up and treat your wound-."

"What the-," Ox muttered, cutting Harvar off.

"What's wrong Ox?" Harvar asked. Ox was looking down at the enormous gash in Kim's stomach, or at least he had been just a second ago. He watched as the wound closed up quickly, already forming a scar.

"Her wound..." he muttered. "It's gone!"

At the sound of Ox's voice, Kim opened her eyes. It must have been a pretty weird scene for her, waking up with Ox over her and her top half off. She kicked Ox away.

"Kim!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't strip people while they're sleeping, _Pervert! _Playing doctor at your age," she scoffed.

"Thank goodness..." Ox said weakly.

"What's going on...?" Harvar muttered. "I know that I cut her...That was a fatal wound, but now it's gone...?"

"You're alive," Ox muttered, slightly dazed.

"What did you do?" Harvar asked angrily. "Just what kind of trick..." he trailed off when he saw a dark expression cross Kim's face as she stood up. It was almost demented in a way.

"I was on the verge of dying. You really didn't go easy on me Harvar," Kim said with a hint of respect. "If you look at the holes in my clothes, then you'll understand that Harvar's blow went right through me."

"Then how?" Harvar demanded.

"What are you saying now?" Kim asked innocently. "If I were normal, I would have been able to stay at Shibusen."

"Witch," Harvar growled. "Was it magic?"

Kim spread her arms. "Tanuncoon. Raccooncoon. Ponpon. Ponkitanu." She trailed off, repeating "pon" over and over as she brought her gloved hand up to her shirt. It began to glow, and she brought her hand away. The hole in her t-shirt had vanished, leaving only a bloody mark to show that the wound was ever there to begin with.

"I hope the stain will come off when I wash it," Kim commented.

"The hole in her clothes disappeared," Ox said in awe.

"I'm a Tanuki Witch," Kim said as a tail with two rings around it appeared. "Tanuki's are animals who rule regeneration." She looked hard at Ox and Harvar. "Regeneration magic. That is my magical forte."

"Regeneration magic," Harvar repeated.

"You really are an angel," Ox murmured.

"An angel?" she asked with a giggle as she picked up Jackie. "I am certainly different from other witches..." she trailed off thoughtfully.

Her eyes suddenly blazed with anger as she shot a wall of flames at Ox and Harvar. "And I have suffered for being different!" she screamed. At that very second, Harvar jumped forward, sheltering his meister from the fire.

"Tch," Harvar muttered as he removed his white jacket, which was now on fire.

"Are you okay, Harvar?" Ox asked.

"We'll have to end this with a combo attack without allowing her to regenerate," Harvar muttered, already forming a plan in his head.

"Don't Harvar," Ox muttered. "I'll fight."

"But with that wound," Harvar began to protest.

"Transform into a weapon," Ox ordered. "Hurry."

Harvar hesitate before nodding. "Understood," he said, transforming into the lightning spear. Ox caught it expertly.

"In the end, even you point your weapon at me," Kim said sadly, eyeing the spear.

"You selfish little-!" Harvar exclaimed. "Ox wants this the least out of everyone!"

Kim charged at them, rapidly closing the distance. "If I could have just lived according to the "Guidance of Magic" like all the other witches!" she exclaimed, swinging the lantern at Ox.

"Guidance of Magic?" he repeated as he blocked the attack with the shaft of the spear, causing the lantern to rebound wildly, spraying flames everywhere.

"The magic held by a witch is an immeasurable energy," Kim explained as their weapons collided again. "When enormous energy is released, what do you think lies in it's wake? You're the smart one, Ox. You should be able to figure it out, right?"

Ox swung his spear at Kim as he began to reason aloud. "It's always the same thing remaining when powerful energy is released, isn't it?" he muttered. "Destruction...

Kim nodded. "Destruction is the "Guidance of Magic". Witches are controlled by that instinct." She swung the chain of the lantern down from over her head, and the lantern followed in suit, swinging down towards Ox's head. He blocked it with so much force that the hatch of the lantern popped open, causing it to hang on to the spear shaft.

"The magic that you have received is the opposite of destruction: regeneration," Ox muttered. "So that's how it is... That's why you are so beautiful."

"So doesn't that mean I don't fit into the witch world?" Kim yelled. "Now Jackie!" she shouted. Ox barely had time to register that the lantern was still hanging off of the spear. It suddenly glowed and exploded, letting out all of the extra energy that had been stored earlier.

"Wollantern!" Kim shouted as the explosion blew up in Ox's face.

"What's wrong Ox? What happened to your lightning fast attack?" Harvar asked quietly. "Are you okay?"

Ox didn't reply as he struggled to rise.

"If you don't fight back, you'll be killed," Harvar said quickly.

"Unfit for the witches and cast aside by Shibusen," Kim said sadly. "Not having anywhere left to go, Arachnophobia took me in. They put me in the Morals Manipulation Machine," she said happily. "I finally became a true witch."

"Shibusen didn't throw you two away. They were just making preparations," Ox said desperately. "Please come back," he pleaded.

"Don't say such nonsense! I can't return now!" Kim said. A smile stretched across her face. "And this feeling, I don't want to lose it. This was the first time since I was born that I've fit in with the world... The first time since I was born that I've had this feeling... I've finally achieved happiness!" she said the last words with such conviction that Ox almost believed her.

Almost.

"Then...why...?" Ox asked, trying to form a sentence. "Why do you look so sad?" he asked. Sure enough, Kim had tears streaming down her face.

"Shut up Ox! Stop making Kim cry!" Jackie shouted from her lantern form. "She couldn't become a witch, nor a Shibusen student! We finally found this place, where the people accept Kim for who she is And treat her like she belongs! Why can't you understand that?"

"It's obvious," Ox said quietly, clutching his side. "This isn't where you belong. Please return with us to Shibusen. Everybody's waiting."

"Shut up!" Kim screeched. "Looking at me, with those accusing eyes! They're not waiting for me!" More tears began to spill down her face.

"Kim," Ox started to say.

"You don't understand!" Kim shouted. "Humans can't change their way of thinking that easily. That's why I could only rely on money. There is no place for me in Shibusen anymore!" she let out a sob before continuing. "Aren't you the same, Ox? Every morning, you wake up early, you shave your head, and you make those pillars. You're just like that, too. You can't change. I'm a witch. I can't change..."

"It can be changed. Anything and everything. Beliefs, pride..." Ox said, leaning Harvar against a pillar.

"Ox..." his weapon partner warned.

Ox ignored him and continued to speak to Kim. "You may be a witch, Kim, but that's fine," he said, taking a hold on his hair pillars. "To people, all that's stopping them from changing is silly willpower."

He began to apply pressure to his beloved hair. Blood began to spurt from his wound, causing him to grimace in pain. Kim could see Ox's blue soul faintly appear around him, and realized the significance of what was happening.

Ox was changing in a way that affected his very soul.

With a final grunt, he broke off the pillars. He cast them aside without a second glance.

"If you don't want to return to Shibusen, then you don't need to, Ox said gently. "If you don't have a place to be, then I'll make you one. Can't I become your place to he?" he asked.

Kim buried her face into her hands and began crying. Ox patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. She ran up to him and began to sob into his chest. In all honesty, Ox was only worrying about being stabbed again when Kim hugged him, but that wasn't the case. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug.

In a flash of light, Jackie transformed back into her human form. She crouched, flames enveloping her hands. She looked ready to kill them both.

"I still can't accept this," she hissed. "Are you a traitor?"

"Wait!" Kim cried out. "I've come to my senses."

Jackie froze as she felt Harvar's hand around the back of her neck. She sensed electricity shooting down his arm, ready to hit her out. She screeched with pain as the lightning hit her, knocking her to the ground.

"Jackie!" Kim screamed. Harvar picked her up by the collar of her shirt.

"It's alright. She's just lost consciousness," Harvar said, as if was supposed to make Kim feel better.

Without warning, Jackie slammed her flaming hand against Harvar's leg, causing him to jump back in surprise.

"How are you-," he began to ask.

"You thought a little shock like that could knock me out?" Jackie asked, straightening up. Harvar stood between Jackie and the two meisters.

"Harvar, we need to-," Ox froze mid-sentence and dropped to his knees, clutching his side.

"Ox!" Kim cried out, falling to her knees next to him.

"I can handle this, Ox," Harvar said as his forearm transformed into a zigzagged spear.

Jackie watched him approach with an amused expression. "This will be fun."

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**As you can probably tell, the next chapter will go off from the original plot line.**

**Point out my mistakes. **

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit**.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Yay!**

**Time for a little violence!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ox was on his knees, breathing hard.

"Ox!" Kim exclaimed. "Let me see your wound. I'll fix it with magic." Ox removed his hands to allow Kim to see the deep cut in his side. She placed her gloved hands to it and closed her eyes. A soft, green light enveloped her hands and the wound. Ox felt the peculiar sensation as his flesh melded back together and healed itself.

"A-amazing!" he breathed.

"Are you okay now, Ox?" Harvar asked cautiously, not taking his eyes off of Jackie.

"Yeah, thanks to Kim," Ox said, glancing at the witch appreciatively. Kim let out a sigh, sweat dabbling on her brow. It was clear that the magic took a lot out of her.

"I'll fix your hair too," Kim said shakily, getting up and retrieving the discarded pillars. She placed them at their proper place behind Ox's ears and closed her eyes. "Tanuncoon. Raccooncoon. Ponpon. Ponkitanu," she recited. She opened one eye and peered down at Ox. She was so close that she could almost see through his absurd glasses. Out of impulse, she kissed him gently on the nose.

"Huh?" Ox said, rubbing his nose as a blush spread across his face.

"There," Kim said, backing away slightly as her face turned red. "Don't wash your hair with shampoo for the next two or three days.

"If you two are finished," Harvar muttered, turning his full attention back to the weapon girl. He frowned as he slowly approached Jackie. Something seemed off about her, as if she were not herself.

With her morals removed, he guessed that she was not herself. Not currently, anyway.

Jackie narrowed her eyes and shot a stream of flames at Harvar, who dodged easily out of the way. His lightning spear arm began to crackle with electricity as he prepared to fry Jackie on the spot. She heard the distinctive noise and jumped back, vanishing into the smoke.

"Great," Harvar muttered as he started to go after her.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Ox shouted.

Harvar glanced back at his partner. "We have to get both of them. That was our mission. Besides, she'll raise the alarm even more and alert everyone in Arachnophobia that we are here, _inside_ of Baba Yaga's Castle."

"I can help," Ox groaned, trying to get to his feet.

"No, you can't Ox," Kim said, placing her hands on his shoulders and forcing him to sit back down. "Your wounds may be healed, but your brain still thinks that there is damage. You're experiencing phantom pains. They're expected side effects and will go away in about twenty minutes, but until then you are about as helpful as a cucumber."

Ox let out a small hiss of annoyance, but it wasn't like he could blame Kim.

He could never blame his darling Kim.

Harvar turned back to the curtain of smoke where Jackie had just vanished. "Try and get out of here if you can," he muttered, running into the fog.

"Wait!" Kim shouted, but he had already vanished.

"Damn it," Ox cursed.

...

Harvar made his way quietly through the smoke. He cursed when he realized that he had no idea where Jackie went.

_She could be hiding, waiting for the right moment to attack me,_ Harvar thought._ Or she could have no idea where I am._ He carefully considered both of the options. They seemed equally likely. Harvar knew that she was still there, at least. Even with her morals down, Jackie wouldn't run away just like that. _ Unless she is going to go sound the alarm..._

Harvar sighed. Whichever it was, the point was that he needed to find her quickly. He stopped and forced himself to relax, allowing all the tension to leave is body. He felt electricity race through his body, almost as if it had been poured into his veins.

With an enormous crack, Harvar released all the electricity, forming an enormous web of light which shot off randomly in every direction. He heard several of the Arachnophobia members let out sluggish cries of pain as the electricity hit them. They weren't who Harvar was looking for, though. Listening hard, he heard a quiet yelp of pain far to his left. It was the only one that sounded even remotely like Jackie. The smoke rolled, allowing Harvar a moment of clear vision. He caught sight of the traitor leaning up against a pillar, clutching her arm.

_Looks like I found you,_ Harvar thought with a slight smirk. In a flash, he was in front of her. She didn't look startled in the slightest, even when Harvar swung his spear arm down towards her face. She easily slipped away, allowing Harvar to cleave the pillar in half. He managed to nick her forehead, drawing a steady stream of blood.

"Nice try," she taunted, dancing quickly out of the way as Harvar shot more electricity at her. Harvar remained expressionless and silent, which seemed to annoy his foe. She stood several feet away from him, looking very bored. A noise from his left distracted him for a second.

That was all the time that Jackie needed. She kicked Harvar in the chest, throwing him against a pillar. Harvar felt the pillar tremble. It was already crumbling from the spot where he had cut it in half, and now it was coming crashing back down.

Right on top of Harvar.

He rolled, trying to avoid the huge stone structure. It hit the ground with a massive boom, throwing dust up everywhere. It cleared, and Jackie could see that Harvar's right arm was now trapped under the pillar. He struggled to free his arm, but was having no luck. Jackie approached him leisurely, knowing that he wouldn't be able to escape.

"Harvar! What was that?!" Kim's voice called. Jackie paused less than five feet away from Harvar, eyes flashing with anger. As far as she was concerned, Kim was still a traitor. Harvar raised his hand and shot a sudden, soundless bolt of lightning at Jackie. It slammed into her stomach, throwing her back into the clearing where Ox and Kim were.

"Jackie?" Ox said in surprise. She got up slowly, clutching her bleeding stomach, which now had an enormous lightning burn stretching across it like a spider web. Her right eye was closed due to the blood pouring out from her head. She began to cough up blood.

"Oh my Death! Jackie, are you okay?" Kim asked, jumping up and running over to Jackie. She froze when she saw the icy expression that her best friend was now giving her. In a flash, Jackie punched Kim in the face, causing her to land on Ox.

"What are you doing?" Ox asked from underneath Kim. Jackie's right arm began to glow, and she raised it right towards her friends. Her face was devoid of all emotions.

"Jackie stop!" Kim screamed, but it was in vain. She sat there, helpless, waiting for the painful blast of fire that would probably leave her dead.

It never came.

Harvar appeared from nowhere and forced Jackie's arm upwards at the last moment, causing her to shoot the flames up to the ceiling. She hissed in anger, bringing her other hand around, trying to hit Kim and Ox with the flames. Harvar grabbed that arm, too. Nonetheless, Jackie shot the flames, which burned along Harvar's black t-shirt, setting it on fire for a moment before smoldering out.

Jackie tried to jerk her hands free from Harvar, but he had a death grip on her. A blast of electricity burned into Jackie's arms, causing her to squirm more. He lost his grip on her right arm, which fell to her side, numb and burned. He quickly placed his hand over her heart. With a crack and a flash of light, Jackie was blasted back, vanishing into the smoke with a cry.

"Harvar, what the hell?" Ox shouted.

"She's not very cooperative," Harvar panted.

"What happened to you?" Kim asked, looking at Harvar's poor condition. His right arm, though functional, was clearly broken.

"Like I said, she isn't being cooperative," Harvar muttered. He ran back into the smoke where Jackie had just disappeared. Ox and Kim watched in horror as flames and bolts of lightning began to flash, ripping the walls and columns apart.

"This is not good," Ox said, watching as the pillars began to collapse, jeopardizing the integrity of the room.

"We need to get out of here," Kim whispered in Ox's ear. "Harvar doesn't need us. We're just putting him at a disadvantage."

"No!" Ox exclaimed. "We can't just leave him here!"

"Ox," Kim pleaded. "We need to-."

"No, we don't!" Ox said, cutting her off. "He'll be finished with this any second now."

"I hope you're right," Kim muttered, watching the fire and electricity light up the room.

...

Harvar could hear Jackie cursing as he shot another bolt of lightning at her from behind a freestanding wall. She retaliated, releasing flames that enveloped the other side of the wall, heating it up rapidly. Harvar could hear the wall beginning to crumble and fall apart. He jumped away as it collapsed, not wanting to be pinned down again.

"There you are!" Jackie hissed, appearing out of nowhere behind him, less than an inch from Harvar's ear. He saw a white flame dancing across Jackie's fingers, which she slammed into the back of his neck before he could move. He clenched his teeth as pain exploded from his neck. He spun around, facing Jackie head on.

Unexpectedly, she fell to her knees. Harvar could see sweat pouring down her face. The white fire clearly took a lot out of her. She shakily rose to her feet, but Harvar was not about to give her another chance to attack him.

He moved as fast as lightning, slamming Jackie into a wall. She immediately began to fight, attacking him with her functioning arm, so Harvar transformed his broken arm into the lightning-shaped spear head, stabbing through the palm of her hand and pinning it to the pillar. Her other arm remained useless at her side. She tried to kick him, but he moved closer, literally pressing up to her as he wrapped his hand around her throat. She looked at him with a burning hatred as she struggled to breathe. Her body heated up, burning Harvar's hand, but he ignored the pain.

After about a minute, her struggling began to weaken. Harvar wasn't going to take any chances, though. He shot a massive charge of electricity through her, causing her to let out a choked cry of pain before falling unconscious. Harvar caught her as she fell, freeing her hand as he did so. He fell to the ground with her in his arms. Harvar felt the burn on his neck spike with pain, causing his sight to blur. He sat heavily against the wall, exhausted from the fight. Jackie was leaning against him, her head resting in his chest. Harvar closed his eyes, thanking the Lord that he had finally knocked her out.

"Harvar!" Ox's voice came from the smoke.

"Over here!" Harvar called, leaning his head back against the wall and opening his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Kim asked as she and Ox came into view. Ox was walking on his own, but clearly still in some pain. They paused as the smoke in the room finally thinned out, rapidly vanishing after a second. Kim and Ox looked around with wide eyes.

"Oh my Death," Ox breathed, looking around. The room around them was destroyed: pillars crumbling, huge craters in the ground, smoking holes blasted in walls, tapestry on fire. Part of the ceiling was missing, which had allowed the smoke to clear.

"Wha-? How did this happen?" Kim asked. She glanced back at Harvar, noticing Jackie's unmoving form for the first time. "OH MY DEATH! YOU KILLED HER!" Kim screamed.

"No, I didn't," Harvar said, but Kim couldn't hear him. She was screaming too loudly about the "death" of her partner. Jackie twitched and opened her eyes.

"What? What's going..." she trailed off, when she caught sight of Kim and Ox. She sat up, her eyes flashing with anger. Kim and Ox backed away in fear as the lantern girl's arm lit up with fire.

Kim looked at her partner pleadingly. "Jackie, please don't-." Jackie didn't hear the rest of what Kim said. Harvar had placed his hand on the back of her neck and electrocuted her again, using up all remaining strength that he had. She fell back against him, unconscious again. Harvar almost blacked out from exhaustion.

"Harvar! Stop killing Jackie!" Kim shouted.

"For Death's sake, I didn't kill her in the first place," Harvar muttered, looking down at Jackie. He felt pain begin to throb through his body, at his neck, arm, and left side.

"How did this happen?" Kim asked, looking at the extensive injuries of the two weapons.

Harvar sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall. "Your partner is insane."

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**Point out my mistakes.**

**And I may or may not add another chapter.**

**If someone asks, then I'll add it.**

**If not, then I won't.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Next Chapter!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Harvar and Jackie were sleeping peacefully in the hospital, with Kim and Ox talking quietly by a window, watching the sun creep down the horizon as they waited for them to wake up.

"You two might want to go home," Nygus said eventually.

"Are you sure?" Kim asked.

"Of course I am," Nygus said, placing a bandaged hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "They'll be up and kicking by tomorrow morning. I promise."

"I'm not so sure about that," Ox muttered. "Harvar really likes his sleep."

"So does Jackie," Kim said.

"Then I'll give them a shot of adrenalin or morphine," Nygus said impatiently, herding them out of the room. "Now go home and sleep, Kim. With the amount of magic that you used today, you must be exhausted. Let Ox take you home, and then come back tomorrow."

"Okay! Bye Nygus!" Kim said as Nygus slammed the door in their faces. Nygus sighed and leaned back against the desk.

By the time that they had gotten Harvar and Jackie back to the school, they had both lost a lot of blood. Kim had been too weak to heal either of them, so they both underwent surgery. Harvar now had several metal bars in his right arm, which was in a cast, and bandages around his entire torso. Jackie's left arm was in a sling, due to extensive nerve damage, and her forehead had been neatly stitched up. She also had bandages around her torso.

Nygus looked at them sadly. A quiet knock at the door woke her from her thoughts. It opened to reveal Sid.

"I need to speak with you," he said.

"Come on in," Nygus said. Her undead partner cast an uncertain look at the two sleeping weapons.

"Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private," Sid muttered.

"What are they going to do? They just got out of surgery, and probably won't wake up until tomorrow," Nygus said. Sid sighed and entered the room, leaning against the closed door.

"Alright, fine," Sid said. "I need an update on these two."

"Their surgery was successful. The metal plates in Harvar will need to be removed eventually, due to possible harm it could cause him with his electricity powers. Other than that, they both seem fine."

"I think that you know what I mean," Sid said.

"I can't tell if there are any adverse effects on Jaqueline from the Moral Manipulation Machine," Nygus said with certainty. "Not until she wakes up, at least. Her final attack that hit Harvar will take a very long time to heal, but Kim might be able to speed it up with her regeneration magic."

Sid frowned, causing Nygus to snap at them angrily.

"We should have been the ones to get Kim and Jacqueline, not those guys in suits. Then they wouldn't have run away to Arachnophobia," Nygus growled.

"I know," Sid said regretfully. They both looked over at the two sleeping weapons.

"They're only kids, yet they still tried to kill each other," Nygus shook her head sadly. "Children at their age should be hanging out, making mistakes, and falling in love. All Harvar does is study, train and look after Ox, and Jackie just trains and takes care of Kim. They just keep working and working."

"We need to send them on vacation," Sid muttered. "All of them."

"I tink that Lord Death would agree to that," Nygus said. "It's unprofessional, but still a good idea."

"I'll go and report back to him now," Sid said. "You should come with. It'd be better if you described the surgery."

"Yeah. No doubt that you'll over exaggerate all of it," Nygus teased as she exited the door that Sid held open for her. As he shut the door, Sid threw a small note tied with a rubber band onto Harvar's bed.

The door closed quietly.

After five seconds, Harvar opened his eyes and looked around. The world looked strange and blurry without the orange tint from his visor. He looked around, but saw no sign of his eyewear. He sighed as his hand closed around the note that Sid had tossed on his bed. He slid the rubber band off and read the small slip of paper.

_I know you're awake. Hope you're doing okay. Jacqueline is awake as well._

Harvar smiled. He wouldn't have expected anything less from the zombified knife-meister. He pulled the rubber band taunt and released it. It snapped in Jackie's face. Or, it would have, if she hadn't moved.

"What was that for?" she asked, turning to him.

"Just making sure that your alive," Harvar said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm covered in injuries, and I'm not sure where they came from," Jackie said.

Harvar looked at her incredulously, showing a rare display of emotion. "Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?" Jackie asked.

"What you and Kim did! Are you seriously telling me that you don't remember?" Harvar asked.

"Remember what?" Jackie repeated. "All I know is that those creepy guys in suits came and we left..." her brows furrowed in confusion. "And then we got to this... forest... and there was a spider...and then the weird short guy with the long nose..." she trailed off uncertainly.

Harvar swung his legs over the side of his bed and stared at her intensely, causing her to squirm uncomfortably.

"You can do better than that," he stated.

"How? I don't remember anything!" Jackie said, starting to feel unsure of herself.

"Try looking at yourself," Harvar suggested. "Think about how you got those injuries." Jackie frowned and looked down.

"When the hell did this happen?!" Jackie shouted.

Harvar sighed. "First of all, watch your language. Second of all, stop shouting. I'm not deaf. Third of all, you need to keep trying. Try working backwards instead. Think of how you got here."

"Can't you just tell me what happened?" Jackie asked impatiently.

"No, because you wouldn't believe me," Harvar replied. "Now, how did you get here?"

Jackie closed her eyes, trying to remember. Harvar could tell that she wasn't getting anywhere.

"I can't remember!" Jackie said, panic causing her voice to rise.

"It's okay," Harvar reassured her. "Just keep your eyes closed and keep trying." Jackie complied. Harvar rose up from his bed silently, making his way over to Jackie's.

"It's still not working!" Jackie exclaimed, opening her eyes. The sight of Harvar right next to her face freaked her out.

"Relax!" Harvar ordered.

"What the hell are you doing!?" she screamed. Harvar let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"I'm thinking of a way to help you remember," he muttered.

"Couldn't you have done that from over there?" she asked, still freaking out.

"It's better to observe up close," Harvar said. "I would like to continue, if you don't mind."

"Okay?" Jackie said, unsure.

"Thank you," Harvar said, continuing to scrutinize her closely.

"Can't you just tell me?" Jackie asked after a few minutes.

"You won't believe me," Harvar said again.

"Yes, I will!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Well, I know you aren't lying..." he trailed off.

"Just tell me," Jackie begged.

"Fine," Harvar said, sitting back down on his bed. "First, tell me how far you remember."

"I already did!" Jackie practically screamed. "There was the weird short guy with a long nose-."

"Mosquito," Harvar interjected helpfully.

"Fine. We met "Mosquito" in the woods after seeing a spider, and he offered to take Kim in at Arachnophobia, so I went with her because she's my meister, and then..."

"And then?" Harvar prompted.

"We got to Arachnophobia, and we were going to talk to Arachne, but Kim started getting freaked out, so we tried to leave... but Mosquito wouldn't let us..." she trailed off, shaking her head, trying to clear it. "It gets really murky from there. I can't make heads or tails of it."

Harvar frowned. According to what Kim had said earlier, then Jackie's memory would be murky around the time that the Moral Manipulation had been used against them. "Do you remember Ox and I coming to get you and Kim?" he asked.

"Kind of," Jackie admitted. "It seems slow, if that makes any sense."

"Let me try to help," Harvar said. "Ox and I found you and Kim in the room that was filled with smoke. Do you remember that?"

"I...think so," Jackie muttered. Her head shot up. "And then Kim stabbed Ox, and then they ended up fighting using us!" she exclaimed. "Sorry about that."

"You were not yourself," Harvar said dismissively. "Do you remember what happened next?"

"Didn't Ox do something to his hair?" Jackie asked. She clapped her hands together. "Yes! He did! He broke those pillars, and then Kim started crying, and stopped fighting him."

"And then...?" Harvar inquired.

Jackie frowned. "I remember getting really angry with Kim, and then my neck hurt, and then there's nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Harvar asked.

"Yes, that's all I can remember," Jackie confirmed. Harvar got up and began to scrutinize Jackie. She did the same, getting up and examining him, just to annoy him.

"Is this really necessary?" Harvar asked.

"Yup! You look weird without your visor," Jackie commented, gesturing to him with her sling arm.

"Thanks," Harvar said. "I think that I know a way to jot your memory."

"Then do it!" Jackie ordered. "I want to know... whatever it is that I'm not remembering."

"Okay. Don't move," Harvar said, slipping behind her. He carefully moved her long, black hair over one shoulder, exposing the back of her neck, which was bandaged.

"What are you doing?" Jackie asked, shifting slightly.

"One second," he muttered, reaching for a scalpel that rested on a tray on the medical cabinet. Jackie noticed the movement.

"What's that for?" she asked nervously.

"Relax. This won't hurt a bit," Harvar said. He paused, realizing how much he sounded like Stein. Shaking off the feeling, Harvar cut through the bandages, revealing her neck. He carefully removed the bandages, pulling the end out from beneath her red shirt, and replaced them and the scalpel onto the cabinet.

"This part will hurt a little," Harvar said, carefully touching the burns on her neck. "Do you trust me?"

"How much trust are we talking about here?" Jackie asked.

"Just enough to believe that I won't kill you," Harvar said after a few second of thought.

"No trust at all," Jackie said.

"That's a shame," Harvar muttered. He tightened his grip on her neck, causing Jackie to have some second thoughts.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," she said, trying to pull away.

"That's a shame, too, that you're having doubts," Harvar said coldly, his grip like iron. Jackie could hear electricity beginning to crackle.

"Harvar, please don't!" Jackie begged, trying to pry his hand off. The boy ignored her pleading, releasing a pulsing current into her neck. At first, it was unnoticeable, except for the noise, but her vision quickly began to blur. She tried to move, to do something, _anything,_ but found her muscles unresponsive. They were numb and tingling simultaneously, but quickly escalated to pain as the current became stronger, the pain centered in her neck.

After a minute, her legs gave out from under her as she began to black out. She was dimly aware of Harvar catching her before she hit the ground.

And then darkness.

Followed by _memories._

_..._

_Herself attacking Kim and Ox. Harvar trying to stop her. The pillar falling onto him. Herself nearly killing Kim and Ox again. Harvar stopped her. He electrocuted her._

_Jackie felt all of these memories flooding back, as if she was watching them from outside of herself. Blankness appeared, indicating unconsciousness, quickly followed by the return of a memory._

_Accompanying the memory was a sense of déjà vu. She was in a room with Harvar, Kim, and Ox. It wasn't the smoke room, though. This was a simple room, with walls that looked like they were made of pipes, and a bizarre chair-like contraption in the center of the room. Yet, despite the probable rarity of a room like this, Jackie couldn't shake the feeling that she had been there before. _

_She watched as Harvar set her down with surprising care as he walked over to the machine._

_"So this is the Moral Manipulation Machine," he mused. "How interesting."_

_"You can admire it later," Kim muttered. "We need to fix Jackie first."_

_"But a quick look wouldn't hurt," Ox said, going over to join his partner. Kim followed with an exasperated sigh._

_They all had their backs to Jackie, who regained __consciousness _without their notice. She seemed to realize that she couldn't kill all of them in her weakened and battered state. Only one shot, and then she would probably pass out again.

_Oh well._

_She still went for it, aiming for the traitor witch instead of the weird meister or the moderately cute weapon. She fire off a small, concentrated ball of flames, which went almost completely unnoticed, going for the base of the traitor's neck. Harvar intercepted at the last second, knocking Kim aside and into Ox. The weapon only had time to take the blow himself, with devastating results. He was thrown back against the wall of pipes, leaving an unfortunate dent. _

_"How the hell is she awake?" Ox shouted, watching as Jackie fainted again. "Nevermind! Harvar, can you come help us?" _

_There was no response from Harvar. He was lying next to the wall, unmoving. _

_"Shit!" Ox cursed, running over to his partner._

_"This isn't good," Kim muttered as they turned him over, revealing an impossibly large burn on his chest. _

_"He still has a pulse, and is breathing. His heart may be compromised," Ox muttered, taking his hand off of his friend's wrist._

_"Go fix Jackie," Kim ordered. "I'll do what I can for Harvar."_

_Ox frowned. "But-."_

_"Go!" Kim shouted. "If she wakes up, we're dead. I promise that Harvar won't be of any use to us in a fight."_

_"Fine," Ox said, slowly moving over to Jackie._

_"Hurry up, for Death's sake!" Kim yelled._

_"Okay! Fine!" Ox said. He quickly lifted Jackie into the chair, lowering the yellow, spiked helmet onto her head. He quickly pulled the lever next to the chair, changing the setting to "Normal". The machine flashed several times before shutting off._

_"Did it work?" Kim asked._

_"I think so," Ox said, removing her from the machine and replacing her on the ground. A sudden banging at the door mad him freeze. It burst open to reveal Sid, Nygus, and a troop of Shibusen military members. They swarmed the room, examining the meisters and weapons, as well as the Moral Manipulation Machine. The snapped photos of the machine before destroying it. They evacuated the students, informing them of the outcome of Maka's fight with Arachne, and Black Star's fight with Mifune._

_And of Kid's disappearance._

_..._

Jackie gasped as she woke up on the ground. Harvar was sitting next to her, leaning against the bed, looking bored. He opened his eyes as she sat up.

"Oh my Death," she said, putting her head in her hands.

"I told you that you wouldn't have believed me," Harvar said.

"No, no, no," she whispered. "I didn't do that..." She quickly stood up and began pacing. Harvar also stood, looking at her with mild concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I didn't do that. I couldn't have done that," she muttered, her eyes wide.

"Those memories aren't fake," Harvar reassured. "I was there."

"That isn't helping!" Jackie whispered.

"Well, we did stop you," Harvar muttered.

"NO! You don't get it!" Jackie exploded. "I betrayed my best friend, two of my comrades, and the entire school! I almost killed you!"

"I did just stop your heart, if that makes you feel any better," Harvar said.

"It doesn't!" Jackie screamed, tears beginning to run down her face. "How can you even stand being in the same room as me?"

"Jackie! It's fine! There is no permanent damage," Harvar said, placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

She panicked, slamming her hand into his chest. He grimaced in pain, causing her to freeze.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"I know, don't worry," Harvar said, his hand still on Jackie's shoulder. She reached out, touching his chest gently. Tears began to run down her cheeks, faster than before, as she felt the bandages underneath his black shirt. Harvar, without any thought, pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay," he said soothingly. _What the hell am I doing?_ he thought. He could feel her shaking as she cried into his chest. They remained that way until Jackie had run out of tears.

"Thanks Harvar," she finally said, wiping her eyes.

"No problem," he replied. "I'm just glad that you're feeling better."

"Yeah, I kinda got tears all over your shirt," Jackie said shakily. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Harvar said. He glanced out the window, where the sky was pitch black, and then to the clock, which said 10:00.

"Wow, how long was I unconscious?" she asked.

"About 3 hours," Harvar said offhandedly. "Nothing too bad."

"And you stopped my heart?" Jackie asked.

"And restarted it," he replied.

Jackie sighed, and then yawned. "Okay. I'll be mad at you tomorrow."

"I think that I can accept that," Harvar said as he helped Jackie back into her hospital bed.

"Thanks Harvar," she murmured.

"No problem," he replied. "Just don't tell Nygus. She'd probably kill me."

"I won't," she laughed tiredly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Jackie," Harvar said, shutting off the lights and making his way back to his hospital bed.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**Now I don't know if I should continue it or not.**

**Point out my errors.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Morning Jackie!" A voice said, dragging Jackie out of her comfortable slumber. She cracked her eye and was able to see her pink haired meister standing over her bed. She let out an angry grumbling noise and pulled the covers over her face.

"Any luck Kim?" Ox asked. The girl shook her head.

"At least Harvar's awake," Kim muttered.

Ox smiled. All it took to wake up his friend was the mention of "missed classwork", which he was now working on.

"I have just the thing to get her up," Nygus said, walking over. "I'll let you chose, Kim: defibrillator or adrenaline?"

"Defibrillator, definitely the defibrillator," Kim said evilly.

Jackie sat up immediately. "I'm awake," she declared, causing Kim and Nygus to burst out laughing.

"I knew that would get you up," Nygus said, chuckling.

"I would have electrocuted her anyway," Kim said with a slightly demented giggle. "Can I still do it?" she asked, reaching for the paddles.

"NO!" Jackie shouted. "I've had enough electricity shot through me by that loon," she declared, pointing at Harvar.

"There is no way that you can pin that on me," Harvar defended, looking up from the textbook that he was reading. "You technically attacked me first."

"That's a lie!" Jackie declared. "_Kim _attacked Ox, both of them wielding their respected weapons. _Then_ Ox snapped Kim out of her manipulated state, and then _I _tried to kill them, and then _you_ tried to kill/knock me out, therefore _you_ attacked first."

"So you remember?" Nygus asked, carefully hiding the relief that she felt.

"Well, I remembered some of it, and a small reminder from Harvar, everything came back," Jackie said, exchanging a grin with Harvar. It wasn't technically a lie. It just wasn't all of the truth.

"That's very good," Nygus said happily. "And, even better news, you two can leave soon!"

"How soon?" Jackie asked eagerly.

"You two just need one more check-up, and I'll redress your injuries, and give you some antibiotics and pain medicine," Nygus said. She turned to Kim and Ox. "You two leave for just a moment. It won't take too long."

"Okay, I'll be taking these with me too," Ox said, taking Harvar's homework away. He and Kim quickly exited the room.

"Alright," Nygus said. "You first Harvar." Harvar obediently held out his casted arm for Nygus to examine. She told him about the amount of time necessary for him to wear the cast, and about the pins in his arm.

"Six weeks?" he asked in disbelief. Nygus smiled at him.

"With your weapon blood, and your unusual electric capabilities, I would put it more around 3-4 weeks," Nygus said. "Now, I need to examine your side." She unraveled the bandages around his stomach, revealing a burn that made a perfect horizontal line across his body. "This one probably be gone in a week or two, and might leave a scar. Same with that nasty little burn on your neck. Wait here while I get the fresh band aids." Nygus quickly walked over to the cabinet and began rummaging through it, destroying the symmetric organization.

Harvar just sat there boredly.

"Here we are," Nygus said, disinfecting the burn again before wrapping it. "And now your chest. Shirt off please. Jackie, close the divider." Jackie got up and began to draw the curtain across the railing. Nygus was already removing the huge square-shaped bandage. It peeled off quickly, giving Jackie a glance at the burn before the blue curtain blocked it from her view.

She nearly threw up.

The only time she had seen a burn so bad was on a dead body. She could dimly hear Nygus telling Harvar about the pain medicine that he would be getting, and what signs he should look for in case of infection.

"And Ox brought you a change of clothes. You can go get dressed in the bathroom," Nygus finished up, directing him to the door next to her desk. He passed Jackie, taking note of her clenched hands and pale face. He could guess what she was thinking.

"It wasn't your fault, Jackie," he said to her as he went behind the desk and into the bathroom.

"Alright, your turn Jackie," Nygus said, opening the curtain.

"Alright," Jackie said, holding up her slinged arm, which Nygus poked and prodded.

"Looks like you won't be needing this sling anymore," Nygus said, removing the white piece of fabric. She then carefully peeled the band aid off of Jackie's forehead, nodding in approval. "This sucker should be gone in 4-14 days," she said happily, slapping another bandage on there.

"That's oddly specific," Jackie commented.

"It is, isn't it?" Nygus agreed. "Alright, now for your stomach, and then your neck, and then we'll be all done!"

"Yay," Jackie said, lacking Nygus's enthusiasm.

"Okay, now roll up your shirt," Nygus said. Jackie obeyed, and the bandages were quickly removed. "Well, I'm afraid that these are going to scar," Nygus said, gesturing to the unique burn on Jackie's stomach. Because it came from lightning, it left a unique pattern, called a "lightning print". It looked almost hike a dead bush, or a root system.

"At least I'll be able to hide it," Jackie joked.

"Yeah. It's too bad that Kim couldn't heal any of these injuries," Nygus said. "Then you wouldn't have any scars. Unfortunately, she can't do much for a while. She's worn out from her ordeal."

"It's fine," Jackie said as Nygus wrapped up her stomach again.

"Alright. Now for your neck," she said, walking behind Jackie. "Where are the bandages?" she asked.

_Oh shit!_ Jackie cursed, thinking fast. "I had a nightmare that I was being strangled, so I kinda tore them off." Nygus nodded in understanding, seeming to accept her lie.

"What...happened to your neck?" Nygus asked a few seconds later. "The burn appears to have gotten worse." Harvar emerged from the bathroom, now in his usual attire of black shirt and grey jeans, and, of course, his visor. He heard Nygus's final statement.

_Shit, shit, shit..._ How was she supposed to explain that one? She caught Harvar's eyes, but he was incredibly unhelpful, his face remaining completely blank as he exited the room.

"Hold on. Please remove your shirt, Jackie," Nygus said, a hint of confusion in her voice. Jackie complied, now in her white tank top. Nygus pulled the back of it down gently, revealing more of the burn. "How could I miss this?" she muttered. She changed tactics, lifting the hem of Jackie's shirt.

"What's wrong?" Jackie asked.

"It's covering your entire back," Nygus breathed.

"What! What's going to happen-OW!" Jackie yelped as Nygus prodded her back with a needle.

"Relax. I'm just drawing some blood to see if there is anything strange about this burn. There's no way that I could have missed it. I'll wipe it down, but I'll leave it open. The bandages would only stick to it and irritate it. You'll have to be making visits every other day with Harvar to make sure it's healing correctly. Is that understood?" Nygus asked as she finished up.

"Yes, of course," Jackie said through gritted teeth. She listened as Nygus explained the painkillers and antibiotics that she would have to take.

"Alright, here are your change of clothes," Nygus ended, presenting Jackie with a red tank top and blue jeans.

"Really Kim? This is what you brought me?" Jackie asked aloud, despite the fact that her meister couldn't hear her. She quickly changed and exited the room.

"Hey Jackie!" Kim said from one of the seats outside of the clinic. "How're you feeling?"

"Well, my arm is now functioning, but I'm going to scar everywhere," Jackie said. "But other than that, I feel awesome. How are you?"

"Good. I'm glad that we came back home," Kim said, putting extra emphasis on the word home.

"Have you gotten anywhere with Ox?" Jackie asked as they walked down the hallway. Kim's face turned red.

"What? Where would you get that idea from?" she asked. Jackie grinned.

"I remember what happened at Arachnophobia. I know that I saw you kiss him on the nose," Jackie smirked.

"That was just a thank you kiss!" Kim defended, turning redder.

"Well, you were blushing just like you are now," Jackie teased.

"What about you and Harvar?" Kim countered.

"He tried to kill me multiple times. Other than that, things are just like they used to be," Jackie said as the two girls exited the school, into the Saturday noon sun.

"Hey Kim! Hey Jackie! How are you feeling?" Ox asked as he caught sight of the girls.

"I'm feeling fine," Jackie said, waving her bandaged arm.

"That's good to know," Ox said. He and Kim were staring at one another, looking as if they wanted to say something, but too afraid to say it in front of Jackie.

"Well, I can practically feel the tension in the air, so I'm going to leave," Jackie said as she slowly backed away. "Can you tell me where Harvar is?" She asked, directing her question to Ox.

"He told me not to tell you where he is," Ox said.

"Why?" Jackie asked.

"I'm not sure. Something about you murdering him later," Kim asserted.

"If you tell me where he is, then I'll leave you both alone," Jackie said with a sly smile. "For some alone time of aloneness."

"He's on the Spiraling Staircase," both meisters said at once. They shared looks of surprise, causing Jackie to burst out laughing.

"Thanks guys!" Jackie said with a laugh as she took off down the stairs of the DWMA, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

...

Harvar sighed as he stood on top of the Spiraling Staircase. It was exactly what the name said: an enormous spiral staircase that went up 20 stories, stopping as a platform. It was a good place to go to be alone, and to stare at the endless desert.

And a good place to hide from people who you electrocuted until their heart stopped.

Or that's what he thought, at least. He was proven wrong as Jackie emerged on the platform.

"You...son...of..." she said breathlessly, not finishing her insult. Harvar turned and saw her, bending over and breathing hard.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that Kim told you I was here," he said as he walked over to her.

"And...Ox," she panted. She fell over on to her back.

"Are you okay?" Harvar asked, kneeling besides her.

"Just...give me a minute," she breathing still rapid. It took several minutes for her to catch her breath.

"You okay now?" Harvar inquired, remembering how worn out he was when he came up here, not 10 minutes before Jackie arrived. His legs were still shaking.

"Yeah," she said. Harvar helped her to her feet.

"So, what are you doing up here?" he asked.

"Oh shit. I forgot," Jackie said, causing Harvar to give a rare laugh. "It's not funny!" she whined, rubbing her temples. "What was it? What was it?"

"Maybe it was nothing," Harvar suggested, causing Jackie's jaw to drop.

"That would mean that I went up all of the damn stairs for nothing!" Jackie said, horrified.

"Watch your language," Harvar muttered. That phrase seemed to jolt Jackie's memory.

"I remember!" she shouted triumphantly. Then she glared at Harvar.

"I wish I hadn't said that," he muttered, but it was too late.

Jackie had already started her rant.

"YOU STOPPED MY HEART!" she shouted. "You didn't even warn me! I told you to stop, but no! You just decided to electrocute me until I remembered!"

"Well, you did remember," Harvar interrupted.

"Well, you did stop my heart!" Jackie yelled. "And gave me a huge burn on my back!"

"What?" Harvar asked, caught by surprise. His surprise caught Jackie by surprise, so they were both surprised.

Surprisingly.

"Didn't you notice it when you tried to kill me?" Jackie asked, still angry.

"No. It should have only affected your neck," Harvar muttered. There was something in his voice that made her believe him.

"Well, I apparently have a large burn on my back," Jackie said. "At least, that's what Nygus told me."

Harvar just stood there thinking with an almost pained expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jackie questioned.

"How bad is it?" he muttered.

"What?" she asked, not hearing him.

"How bad?" Harvar spoke louder this time.

"I'm not sure," Jackie admitted. "I haven't actually had a chance to look at it myself."

Harvar seemed upset about something. It didn't show in his face, but in his body language.

"You can take a look if you want," Jackie offered.

"Really?" Harvar asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Jackie said, turning around. "Just try not to kill me this time." Harvar moved behind her and gently pushed up the back of her shirt. She could hear him curse quietly as his fingers traced the burn. She let out a gasp as his fingers brushed a particularly painful spot.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine. It just surprised me. That's all," Jackie said, brushing it off. "Please, continue if you must."

"No, it's fine," he said, carefully sliding her red shirt back down. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, causing Jackie to turn around.

"Alright, what's wrong?" she asked again.

"That shouldn't have happened. I have better control than that," Harvar muttered.

"The metal bars in your arm probably messed you up," Jackie said immediately.

Harvar did not look convinced.

"It isn't your fault," Jackie said gently, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Yes, it is," Harvar muttered. "I knew what I was doing, and I knew what could have happened, but I did it anyway."

"So did I," Jackie reminded him.

"No, you were under the influence of a powerful machine. I was not," Harvar said.

"Just let it go," Jackie suggested. "Forget about it. It's water under the bridge."

"Fine. I will," he said with a sigh. It wasn't a sigh of relief or boredom. It was a sigh of acceptance.

"Good," Jackie said, wrapping her arms around him. She found that she quite enjoyed hugging him.

"I promise that I won't let anything like that happen ever again," he whispered in her ear as he gently returned her hug.

He found that he liked hugging her too.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**And story done!**

**Fifth story started, first completed.**

**Yay!**

**Hopefully it's error free!**

**Time to start another story.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


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